Few players gained more headlines in Cincinnati than A.J. McCarron after the Bengals drafted him in the fifth round this past season.

His two national titles in football-crazed Alabama and model wife, Katherine Webb, didn't hurt his trendability. For now, however, being stashed in the shadows may provide the best way to help out the Bengals.

McCarron remains the last player on the Bengals eligible to begin the year on the Non-Football Injury list — which operates under essentially the same rules as the Physically Unable to Perform List. In either case, a player can return to play Week 7 at the earliest but stay on the list until Week 15 before having to make a decision on the season and count against the team's roster.

Knowing that, it makes sense on multiple levels for the Bengals to begin the season with McCarron on the NFI list. First, his shoulder injury needs rest and the acquisition of Tyler Wilson Saturday assures the team doesn't see McCarron capable of participating in a preseason game Saturday, at the very least, but realistically further out.

The only value he would add this season would have been to gain experience in the preseason or enter as a backup or starter should injuries occur to Andy Dalton and/or Jason Campbell.

If McCarron was healthy he would need to stay on the 53-man roster because the Bengals wouldn't want to open him up for others to pluck him away off waivers. With this, they can keep him around in case injuries occur to the quarterbacks in the first six weeks and bring him off the list on an as needed injury basis.

Plus, for a shoulder ailment in which rest is the most important element to assure previous issues don't return, it does both McCarron and the team good to sit back.

By going that route, the Bengals can carry just two quarterbacks as they have since 2011 and open up an extra roster spot come cutdown day. That can be valuable considering their roster depth.

It could save the roster life of those on the bubble, which now includes a developing young player like lineman Tanner Hawkinson, linebacker Sean Porter, receivers Cobi Hamilton and James Wright or veterans Taylor Mays or BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

Injuries are a near certainty to occur the rest of the preseason and re-shape the roster with each one, but McCarron starting the year on PUP will help a talented player stay on the roster to help the team win games and that is the scenario the Bengals are headed toward.

UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS:

The last three years, four undrafted free agents played well enough in preseason to make the 53-man roster at the final cutdown. Those were tight end Colin Cochart in 2011, center Trevor Robinson and linebacker Vontaze Burfict in 2012 along with linebacker Jayson DiManche last year.

This season the Bengals are tracking toward two more adding to the list. Guard Trey Hopkins (Texas) played himself into second string guard on the depth chart and started Thursday's preseason game against Kansas City.

Also, tight end Ryan Hewitt (Stanford) has been working with the first team at fullback as an H-back/tight end combo. The role was previously held by Orson Charles last season. Charles, the 2012 fourth-round pick, suddenly finds himself in an uphill battle to hang onto a roster spot with Hewitt in his way.

Quarterback Tyler Wilson of Arkansas was drafted in the fourth round in 2013 and many thought the Oakland Raiders landed an April steal.

He hit 63 percent of his passes with a 2:1 touchdown:interception ratio during his career with the Razorbacks. Then he went to Oakland and couldn't even survive his first season. He ended up on the practice squad with the Raiders and eventually snapped up by Tennessee.

This Thursday, the Titans released him before even playing a game. Hard to imagine a fourth-round pick at quarterback to fall so fast being given a chance to develop.

With Jason Campbell battling a temporary elbow injury the Bengals picked him up this week to assist with snaps in camp and possibly Saturday's game should they choose not to put Campbell at risk against the Jets.

He'll be the longest of long shots to stick with the Bengals, especially coming in without previous knowledge of the system, but finds a way to hang on for one more chance to show Oakland and Tennessee were wrong about him.